Avengers #21

Part of Marvel's sweeping 2013 Infinity crossover, this issue arrives with one of the arc's most striking covers: a close-up portrait of a figure bathed entirely in eerie green light, the Avengers "A" logo glowing above him like a halo and points of luminescent energy orbiting his chest. The mood is quietly intense — more meditation than action — and it suits a chapter titled "Emancipation" perfectly. Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Sunny Gho bring a cinematic gravity to this tie-in that makes it hard to put down.